Closing the skills gap is one of the most pressing challenges for any Middle East organization – especially those in technology. Many of the most in-demand jobs and careers did not exist five or ten years ago, and technology solutions are changing at such a rapid pace that it can be a challenge for organizations to upskill local talent.

As the Internet of Things advances, organizations are handling exponentially more and different types of data from an increasing number of sources.

With solutions such as all-flash storage, hyper-converged infrastructure, and network virtualization seeing stronger take-up, data skills are no longer a “nice to have” – they are a must have. Middle East organizations that do not prioritize data skills will be left behind the competition.

Storing the data is one thing. It’s the human analysis that will be more in demand than ever before. While predicting the careers of tomorrow is always a tricky prospect, what one recent industry survey shows is clear: that data management is the most in-demand skill needed by Middle East employers in 2017.

Additionally, skills across data mining, storage systems and management, and data presentation are also ranking in the top 10 most in-demand skills from employers.

Changing a corporate culture to focus on data management skills is not easy. This focus has to come from the top, which is why we are seeing many Middle East organizations hire Chief Data Officers to break down organizational silos to focus on data management across different internal business units.

With one industry survey showing that 90 percent of large organizations will have a Chief Data Officer by 2019, Middle East organizations need to prioritize data management skills in 2017 to drive business success in the next five years.

With less than two months to become compliant with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the CEO of UAE-based IT infrastructure and information management consultancy and solutions provider

The shortlist for the Network Middle East 2018 Innovation Awards can now be unveiled. The shortlisted names have been forwarded to the judges who will pick a winner in each of the 16 category. The final